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Click the photo to see a slideshow of the diesel cars and trucks that will save you money, including the Ford F-350 shown above (Credit: Ford)

Vincentric estimates pricing at $26,872 for the gas-powered Ford F-350, and $32,227 for one with a diesel engine.

But those who choose the diesel will more than make up for the price difference in five years of owning it. The overall savings will work out to $1,141, Vincentric says. The F-350 diesel actually saves more than that on fuel—$1,999. But with other expenses, including higher insurance and repair costs, some of the fuel savings does not end up in the owner’s pocket.

The F-350 is one of seven diesel pickup trucks that Vincentric studied, and the only one to make the list of cost-effective choices. Ford is also the only domestic automaker to earn a spot in the rankings.

Popularity on the rise

“I think it’s a reasonable question to pose: Are diesels a good cost option? And obviously a number of people are answering, ‘Yes, I think so,’” says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a nonprofit that raises awareness of diesel technology.

The proof is in how automakers have been meeting sales projections for diesels and in some cases exceeding them, Schaeffer says.

Though diesels are still a small niche—they make up a little less than 4 percent of U.S. vehicle sales, he says—their popularity is growing. Diesel sales jumped 27.5 percent in the first half of the year, compared with a 14.9 percent increase in total new car sales, according to data compiled by Hybridcars.com and Baum & Associates, a research firm in West Bloomfield, Mich.

Part of the appeal is how infrequent fill-ups are. “The range of these vehicles is really quite phenomenal,” says Schaeffer, who drives a Mercedes E350 Bluetec. “Some have a range of over 700 miles on a single tank of fuel. They might cost $75 or so to fill up, but then you might not be filling up again for a couple weeks.”

But diesel buyers are attracted by more than just extra miles per gallon, he says. They appreciate that clean-diesel technology is proven and robust, and they like the way the vehicles drive, with their torquey engines that provide good acceleration.

Some also choose diesels for the reduced emissions. And in contrast to hybrids, there are no expensive battery packs to worry about down the road, and fewer, if any, compromises in performance, Schaeffer says.

Doing the math

Still, as Vincetric points out, the advantage of those infrequent fill-ups might be deceptive.

Buyers who choose a diesel vehicle could assume the savings on fuel will more than compensate for the other extra expenses. With the nine diesels on the Vincentric list, that is the case.

But higher purchase prices and other expenses over time can outweigh the savings diesels deliver at the pump; in general, owning a diesel for five years ends up costing an average of $751 more than owning the same vehicle with a gasoline engine, according to Vincentric’s calculations in its alternative fuel analysis.

Schaeffer points out that diesel buyers are practical and take a long-term view when it comes to value. As such, owning a diesel for more than five years can certainly help amortize the added costs. Those who drive more than 15,000 miles a year also can defray the upfront costs faster.

Of the diesels currently on sale in the U.S., roughly half are commercial vehicles, including a bunch of heavy-duty, full-size, pickup trucks like the Ford F-Series. Those have higher premiums than the consumer models, as you might expect.

2012 Chevrolet Express 3500 cargo van (Credit: GM)

The 2012 Chevrolet Express Diesel 3500 van is the one with the biggest price difference of all. It costs a whopping $12,288 over the same model that runs on gasoline, Vincentric says. That’s more than the price of a new Nissan Versa.

The consumer models—all of which are from German automakers—have an average premium of $1,817 compared to their gas equivalents, according to Vincentric data.

The purchase price is a major factor in whether a diesel model ends up saving money over a gas model after five years of ownership. The more the diesel costs up front, the harder it is to negate that expense with savings—one mile at a time.

The two Mercedes vehicles that top the list of cost-effective choices illustrate the point. The diesel GL350 costs only $101 more than its gas GL450 counterpart, by Vincentric’s calculations. And the diesel S350 actually costs $3,418 less than its gas S550 counterpart—one of three diesels included in the Vincentric analysis that can be had for less than its gas equivalent. The others are the 2012 Mercedes R350 Bluetec, which ranks fifth on the list of best values, and the 2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d, which ranks sixth. (BMW is introducing a new diesel engine that promises to significantly improve fuel economy on the X5 for the 2014 model year, which you can read more about here.)

More to come

Given how much Mercedes is investing in its diesel lineup, perhaps its strong showing in the rankings is to be expected. In all, the company offers five diesel vehicles in the United States, and it reportedly has others in the works. (It had six until just recently. The R-Class was discontinued after the 2012 model year.)

2012 Volkswagen Touareg TDI (Credit: VW)

Only Volkswagen is as prolific, with six diesels of its own available for U.S. buyers. In its case, just one diesel—the 2012 Volkswagen Touareg TDI—is a cost-effective choice by Vincentric’s standards. But Volkswagen's Jetta TDI and Passat TDI come extremely close. The difference is a mere $29 for the Jetta and $187 for the Passat—which means they are nearly break-even. If you plan to keep the car for more than five years or drive more than 15,000 miles annually, this could tip the scales to make them a cost-effective choice for you.

So far, German automakers are the only ones offering diesel vehicles in the consumer category for the United States. But the market is about to get more crowded.

Schaeffer sees diesel sales “easily doubling” in the next three to five years as automakers introduce new models. Audi, BMW, Chrysler, , Mazda and Mercedes have all announced plans to launch new diesel vehicles. (Click here to read more about the all-new 2014 Mazda 6, which will be one of only two midsize sedans to offer a diesel engine in the United States when it comes out. It is expected to be in showrooms around midyear 2013.)

The details remain in flux, but new entries from Chrysler, GM and Mazda in particular have the potential to really move diesel from the fringes to the masses by offering the technology in popular affordable models—such as the Chevrolet Cruze, in GM's case—Schaeffer says.

So the diesels that will save you money could get even more plentiful.

“It’s important for consumers to look at their needs and the specific models available to them,” Wurster says. “Depending on the current deals, their driving patterns and intended length of ownership, a diesel can still be a great value.”